Dream Or Nightmare
by Lonersoforlorn
Summary: Harry Hook hates Auradon. Only one thing, well person, keeps him from running back to the Isle. Uma. But what happens when he's told he must pass Remedial Goodness 101 or be sent back to the Isle? Will he accept the decision or try to stop it from happening?


Harry's now officially the last person in Remedial Goodness 101. All of the other wharf rats, yes including Bonny, have all just graduated from this brainwashing class. Harry watches as they cheer, and discuss their future aspirations. Watches as they all dream without living in a nightmare.

The Isle is their horror story. Auradon their fantasy come true. Harry wasn't like them. For him, it was the opposite. The Isle his dream. Auradon his nightmare. Yet, there's one thing that could turn the Isle into his nightmare. One person not being by his side, someone he couldn't live life there without. Uma.

Harry's desk is closest to Jonas. It's why he can't help but notice when Desiree approaches Jonas's desk. Desiree, the small vicious girl, Harry grew up with, fought alongside with, knocks on Jonas's desk to get his attention.

Jonas who's looking through some magazine Harry can't see the cover of looks up. They both exchange greetings and start talking about mundane things. Harry bores of it almost immediately.

Harry leans back in his chair, so far back it lifts the front of it up. He works on balancing it and almost falls back onto the floor but manages to fall forward enough to stop it.

Harry lays his head on his desk. So unlike his one back on the Isle. The one that'd always leave a splinter on his face if he turned the wrong way. The one he carved his initials into. The one that still had the scent of its past life of a ship on it. The smell of the sea.

Now, Harry could see the sea anytime he wanted. Take a bus to the beach if he wanted to. But it didn't feel the same. Didn't fill him with the longing that seemed to overflow in him before.

Desiree and Jonas start talking about their futures. Harry didn't care for the future that much. Why should he? When his future was like a lighthouse without a bulb. A sailor without a compass. A captain without a first mate.

Harry had no course, no destination. Everyone in Auradon saw it. They whispered it behind his back. Laughed about it when they glanced at his test scores. Gave him pitying looks when he couldn't solve the most basic math problem on the blackboard.

Desiree knew exactly where her future's taking her. Harry listens as she talks about wanting to work with animals. She mentions something about joining Carlos De Vil's school club. Harry's seen Carlos's flyers around the school.

Carlos put his dog on top of a red and black background and added a dog pun about joining his club. Harry would always take some down to crush up and throw at Jay during History of Woodsmen and Pirates in 6th period.

Jonas starts talking about himself and his future goals. He lifts up the magazine he's reading and points out something. Harry can't really see it, but he hears Desiree comment on how complicated it looks. Jonas laughs it off and starts bragging about how he's already made things more complicated than that in shop class.

Then Jonas starts speaking about making a jewelry box. He tells Desiree he's making it for someone special. Harry wonders who, even though he tells himself he doesn't care at all. Jonas then says her name. The name of their former captain, Harry's best friend, and the apparent owner of Jonas's heart.

Harry bolts up from laying on the desk. Like the smell of a smelling salt hitting a fainted patient, hearing Uma's name spoken by another awakens something in Harry. Anger.

He stands up, pushing the chair he's sitting at back with his legs. Desiree spots Harry standing before Jonas does. She backs away from Jonas's desk and quickly heads back to her own. Harry walks over to where Desiree once stood, his anger rising like steam from a pot on a stove. He slams his hands against Jonas's desk.

"Owner of your heart?" Harry snidely says. "You're just a lowly former member of Uma's crew. She'd never look at you."

Why would she look at anyone when she like Desiree and Jonas have a future? Have a place in Auradon.

Jonas blinks, he looks surprised to see Harry. As if his very words didn't summon Harry's anger. Release it like a fish in captivity being brought back to the sea. "She hasn't looked at you either and you're her best friend, aren't you?"

Jonas seems shocked by his own words but not as shocked as Harry. Harry who opens his mouth, ready to retaliate. To say the nastiest thing he could think of. Nothing came out. He pushes Jonas's desk and leaves the classroom.

He hears Uma's footsteps on the crunchy pebbly path of Belle's harbor before he sees her. Hearing her before seeing her gave him enough time. Enough time to slip the key he stole from Chad Charming almost a week before in his pocket before she approaches him. So she doesn't know the truth. That Harry wanted to go back. To go home.

She finds him, sitting on the pebbly path behind a large statue of King beast. Unlike the one in Auradon, it didn't change back into their former King. It stayed the same. As if he'd never was released from his curse. As if he never found love. As if he never made the Isle.

Harry grabs a handful of pebbles, feels it stick to his skin and then chucks it at the statue of the beast. "Long live the king." He declares, mockingly. He glances at Uma, her hair's mostly straightened, the top part of it braided, and two braids in the front fully braided. Part of Harry wants to playfully twirl her front braids around his finger as he did back on the Isle. The Isle where she's his Captain, and he her first mate.

She taps her foot on the pebbly ground, they stick to her shoe like how Harry used to stick to her side back on the Isle. Back when she wasn't busy planning out her future. Back when Harry was so sure he'd always have a place in it.

Uma gives him a look. The exact same look she gets whenever she's not in the mood to reciprocate Harry's flirtations. A look Harry feels he's been getting a lot lately.

"I hate Auradon," Harry tells her, just like he's told her many times before. But unlike before he uses Auradon's proper name, doesn't mock it by saying bore-adon. So Uma could know something's really bothering him.

Harry could tell she got his message because she comes closer to him and leans back on the statue of King Beast. "I know." She replies, softly. She's using the same tone she uses when Auradon gets new students from the Isle. That tone that indicates she knew exactly what they were going through. Exactly what they were feeling.

Harry didn't want that tone used on him. Because Uma didn't understand his feelings at all. Not about Auradon. Not even about her.

"Harry here, here the future is ours. We can be anything." She continues, sounding to Harry like she's reading off a checklist.

"They took my hook. I can't study without my hook." Or function. Or stop himself from crying when he misses his dad.

Uma frowns, "I tried to get your hook back but Fairy Godmother's classified it as a weapon. Didn't help that you threatened to hook multiple students with it when you did have it."

"They started it." With their laughter because Harry couldn't count. As if any number after one mattered.

Uma sighs a heavy sigh. A conflicted look passes on her face. Her conflict is quickly forgotten, and she walks over to Harry. She puts her hand out, ready to help him up from the pebbly ground. Harry stares at her hand, so much smaller than his own. He tentatively touches her fingers, never grasping it. His fingers heat up as if he's touching coal burning in a fire.

He swears hers are heating up too. She pulls away, leaving Harry's fingers touching nothing. Uma wipes her hands on her pants and clears her throat. "There's a bench somewhere." She says, her eyes searching for the location of it. "It's gotta be better than sitting on the pebbly ground, right?"

"I like the pebbly ground." Harry retorts. He didn't actually like it, but he felt like being defiant.

Uma walks back over to the statue of King Beast. She leans back on it. "I'm not supposed to tell you this..."She says, trailing off but then finds her place again."Ben told me he spoke to Fairy Godmother, and she's talking about sending you back. Back to the Isle."

"Is that a bad thing, Uma?" Harry asks, and Uma's face looks stricken at the thought of it. "I don't belong in Auradon. I never will."

"I'm here, and you're my first mate," Uma replies her voice unusually quiet. It reminded him of when they were young, and he'd found her in the back of her mom's shop crying, the smell of shrimp filling the room. Back then he placed his arms around her, told her he didn't smell a thing and insulted Mal the causer of her distress.

She wouldn't even let him touch her now not without pulling away almost seconds later. And whenever they did it burned, burned his body like the blistering heat of the sun during a heatwave.

"The wharf rat's no longer exist, darling." Harry reminds her. "Every crew member has gone their own way. Including you."

"That may be so but I still won the race. You're still my first mate."

"We don't even have a ship, anymore."

Harry wonders if he should tell her about the boat key in his pocket. If he should ask her if she wants to run away with him. He knows she'll just take it away, tell him that Auradon is their home now. That their future lies here.

"We don't need one." She says, a look in her eyes so intensifying it strikes Harry down like lightning.

"Uma..." He starts but his voice trails off. He didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to tell her.

"Hear me out?" Uma asks and Harry nods. "I begged Ben to ask Fairy Godmother to give you another chance. You know how much that boy loves chances, so he agreed to help me. Anyway, there's a way you can pass remedial goodness 101. But if you don't want to stay, in Auradon, I won't force you, Harry. I'll-I'll let you go."

His dream and nightmare could both come true. He'll be back on the Isle. Back to living in his wicked ways. It's what he wanted ever since he started school in Auradon Prep. He thinks of the boat key in his pocket. The one he didn't want Uma to know he has. It seems heavier now.

He could've easily stolen Chad's boat earlier and gone back to the Isle but instead, he found himself patiently waiting for Uma to find him. Knowing that she'll come. Knowing that no matter how busy she is planning her future, she always finds him. Always knows where he's at.

Harry stands up, brushes the pebbles from off of his pants. He walks past where Uma's standing and makes his way to the side of the statue. The perfect spot to see every boat in the harbor. Oddly enough, although this place and all of the boats around were way more extravagant and fancy than anything Harry's ever seen growing up, it still all the more reminded him of home. Of the Isle. And for that, this place became the only place in Auradon Harry will ever allow himself to enjoy.

Uma knew that. Knew him. It felt like the only thing she didn't know about him was how he felt about her. Even though, it was so obvious. Harry reaches into his pocket, grabs the boat key that now seems weighing him down and throws it into the sea. For the first time since he's been here, Harry wants to stay. Except now, he's not so sure he can.

Fairy Godmother assigns him an essay. An essay about a hero. Someone who's shown true heroic qualities. Someone who's overcome their "villain" to achieve their happily ever after.

Harry who's only known villainy didn't understand what exactly classified as heroic. No matter how many times Fairy Godmother tries to explain it. She gives, Harry a smile, one that says you've got no chance of passing but in her mind probably came off as kind. She suggests Harry borrows some books about heroes from the school library. Harry wasn't really a reader. Sure he's read plenty of books about adventures. Sea adventures. Adventures about a dashing pirate's plans always being thwarted by an annoying forever ten-year-old boy. Books about his dad, Captain Hook. But other than that when it came to books, Harry just couldn't stay interested.

And now the only chance he has to stay by Uma's side depended on him finishing books about heroes. Great. He might as well start packing up his bags now. The next day after all his classes were done, he changes into his red hoodie. If he had to go to the library he didn't want anyone of those Auradon kids to recognize him. They'd never let him live it down.

Before he opens the door to the library, Harry glances behind him and flips his hood up to cover his face. He slowly pushes the door to the library open. Surveying the huge room quickly to take note of whose there before heading to the front desk, his eyes on the ground. He barely looks up as he waits for the librarian to acknowledge him.

"Can I help you?" She asks him, clearly put off by his presence.

"I need a book about heroes," Harry says quietly.

"You'll have to speak up, I can't hear you." She tells him, agitated.

Harry huffs and leans over the desk more. "I need a book on heroes." He tells her again.

She leans back as he leans in, clearly wary of the boy who so obviously doesn't belong. A boy she can obviously just feel is from the Isle.

"Uh, on heroes?" She asks, still leaning back.

Harry slams his palm on the desk in irritation. "Yes! On heroes! Can you just tell me where the books on heroes are?"

She turns away from him and types on her computer. She grabs a paper, and tears it in two and then grabs a pen. She places one half of the paper under the desk and uses the one still on top and writes something down. When she's done she places the paper in front of Harry. Harry grabs it, stuffing it in his pocket and walks away without a thank you. He sneaks into an isolated spot and slips the paper out of his pocket. He reads it over.

There were numbers and letters filling the small scrap. He bites his lower lip suddenly nervous. He didn't know numbers would be involved in this. He couldn't do this. He couldn't find the book. Couldn't write this essay. Couldn't stay by Uma's side.

Then he saw it. His life back on the Isle. His life without Uma. He'd end up spending all his time waving around his hook next to crocodiles mouths. Waiting for any one of them to bite off his hand. Bored out of his mind because his best friend wasn't there.

He could at least try to find the books, right? So Harry ends up walking around the library trying to find a match for the numbers and letters on the paper. Till eventually, he does. He ends up with four books all varied in size. Books stack in hand, Harry walks over to an empty table. He places the books down, pulls out the chair tucked under the table and sits down. He grabs the book that looks like it has the least amount of pages and starts reading.

It takes Harry five minutes to fall asleep. He doesn't wake up till he hears the sound of someone tapping on the table. He groggily opens his eyes, shutting them before stretching out his arms.

"Why'd you wake me?" He asks the person tapping on the table.

"Cause your drooling, hook."

Harry opens his eyes and sees Uma's in front of him. He gives her a sleepy smile, and says, "If it isn't the girl of my dreams."

Uma ignores him. "So you're writing the essay does that mean-"

"I want to stay?" He suggests. "Yeah, I guess I do want to stay."

Harry looks at Uma as if he's trying to send her a telepathic message. _I'm doing this for you._ His message says. _So I won't leave your side._

Uma looks away from him and nervously tucks strands of her hair behind her ear. "Uma, If I fail-" He starts, but decides against it. Even if he told her how he feels about her. He doesn't think she'll believe it. Think she'll realize it's true.

"Promise me you'll put my picture in a locket and tell everyone you're taken when I'm gone." He finishes with a flirty smirk.

Uma laughs, but Harry could hear the sadness in her voice. And it fills him with relief that she doesn't want him to go. That she doesn't him to leave her.

Uma walks over to the side where Harry's sitting. She pulls out the chair next to him and sits beside him. "How far did you get in the book before you slept?"

Harry squints at Uma, confused by what she's talking about. She points down to Harry's hand. There's a book in it. He had completely forgotten about it. Harry checks the page his thumb had rested on while he slept. Then he lifts the book up so Uma can see and tell him what page he's on.

"You're joking." She says but Harry shakes his head."Harry, this is the first page."

Harry turns to Uma and pouts like a little kid and asks, "Can you read it to me?"

Uma takes the book from Harry's hand much to his surprise. He expected her to tell him she's busy. That she had to be off to some club meeting or had a report due soon. She starts reading. She reads the first page and Harry doesn't nod off like he did when he read it all on his own. But a couple of pages in, Harry starts insisting he should turn the pages. Uma quickly rejects the idea. Pointing out Harry's not a child.

"It's my research for my essay." Harry points out, pouting like a child again.

Uma closes the book up and glares at Harry. "Do it yourself then."

Harry turns around, facing forward. He places his elbows on the table and lays his head on the palm of his hand. "I guess I'll just go back to the Isle then."

Uma plops down the book between Harry and her. Harry stops laying on the palm of his hand and takes his elbows off the table. He then scoots over closer to Uma. "Miss me, darling?"

Uma rolls her eyes, "Shut up." She says with a smile.

Harry and Uma meet in the library for three days straight. They manage to finish about two books. Two collections of stories about Heroes. Tales of Hercules defeating the Hydra, a monster so terrifying many just died seeing it. A weird story about a rat that cooked human food by pulling on some guy's hair. Harry and Uma exchanged many looks while reading that story. You get to close to a rat on the Isle Of The Lost, and you better pray to the gods you'll get a chance to see tomorrow.

Harry still didn't feel closer to understanding the meaning of a hero. So he asks Uma what she thinks, what she see's as a hero.

She thinks for a moment, lifting her gaze from the book to look at Harry."Someone who doesn't hurt others. Whether it be physical or emotional. You know, the exact opposite of our parents?"

"But haven't so many heroes hurt other people? People like our parents? Way before the Isle Of The Lost was ever made or thought of."

"Like King Triton?" Uma offers as an example.

Harry nods."Exactly, like him. Haven't you ever wondered what your mom would be like if he didn't trick her into being exiled?"

"I assume exactly the same. I can't imagine that women ever being nice."

"Think about it, darling. Without your mom being exiled, she never delves into her magic. She's just a normal princess with a brother who resents her."

Uma tilts her head and Harry sees she's deep in thought. She hums, and says, "I read something once in an Auradon book. It said she used to sing. That she once had the most beautiful voice in all the sea. It would've been nice to hear it. Would've been better than having her scream at me all the time."

Uma closes the book she's reading with Harry. The atmosphere around her changes and she's frowning. Harry touches her hand, and heat rises between them both. Burning. Burning. Burning. Uma doesn't pull away as she did at Belle Harbor. Like she did so many times before when the fire between them caused their temperatures to rise so high it leaves Harry parched. Parched for more. Harry smiles like all his dreams just came true.

The next day, Uma tells Harry she's busy. That he'll have to start the third book on his own. Harry wonders if it's because of yesterday. If his dream was Uma's nightmare. He tells her not to worry about it. That he could easily finish the book on his own.

So he sits at the same table, wearing the same red hoodie as he did on the first day he got this assignment. The book covers up his face. He reads about an ordinary girl who lived in New Orleans. A girl who had a dream, the same dream her father had. To open a restaurant. And in order to afford that dream, she worked as a waitress. She ended up getting so close, so close to that dream and then someone pulled it all away.

Harry reads on and on, reading about her meeting a frog prince. Going on an adventure and finally getting her happily ever after. Then he gets it. Finally, gets it. Understands what a hero is. Understands who a hero is. And knew exactly who he's gonna write about. Harry sets the book down and runs out of the library, ready to write his essay.

Uma asks Harry to come to her dorm the next morning. She apologizes to him for not coming to the library yesterday. She talks about being swamped with school work. Lifts up pages of loose-leaf paper with writing in black ink. Harry holds his hands out, tells Uma that it's fine.

"I actually wrote the whole thing and handed it in before I came here."

"You did?" Uma says, shocked. "Who'd you end up writing about?"

"It's a secret," Harry answers with a smirk.

When Harry walks into Remedial Goodness 101, Fairy Godmother's waiting for him. She calls him to the front of the class where she's standing in front of the room. Harry awkwardly stands in front of her waiting for her to speak. She walks over to her desk, expecting Harry to follow. He does.

She lifts up Harry's essay from her desk and hands it back to him. Harry's afraid to look down at the paper, to see the big fat F on it. Afraid that the future he finally let himself imagine while writing it wouldn't come true. Afraid a Captain will live her life without a first mate.

Fairy Godmother makes an encouraging gesture, so Harry swallows his fear and looks down.

An F didn't greet him. In fact, it looked exactly like the letter A. "I passed?" Harry says unsure. Fairy Godmother nods, giving him a genuine smile. "I passed!" He cheers.

"I admit I wasn't so sure about the person you chose. But she's proven herself many times here and now so have you. Congratulations, Harry. You're staying in Auradon."

Uma. He has to tell her. Tell her that he can still stay beside her. Show her the first A he's ever earned in his whole life. He asks Fairy Godmother if he can leave. She grants him her permission and Harry runs out of the classroom. Uma has a free period around this time, so Harry decides to head to her dorm.

He spots her about to head somewhere else but before he can approach her someone reaches her first. Jonas. Jonas has that jewelry box he told Desiree just days before that he was going to make for Uma. It's colored a teal blue to match Uma's hair, Harry presumes. The box is small. So small Hary can't spot most of it's more intricate designs.

Harry doesn't know why he doesn't swipe the jewelry box from Jonas. Why he doesn't throw it on the ground and laugh while it breaks. Jonas starts talking to Uma. Harry walks closer, close enough so he can hear what Jonas's saying.

Neither of them seems to notice Harry. Jonas tells Uma he made it for her. That it's a sign of his love for her. That being in Auradon made him realize what love was. That what he felt for her could only be described as such.

Nightmare. Harry is in a nightmare. He's sure of it. Harry wishes he had his hook. He'd hook Jonas so badly, he'd never be able to speak a word to Uma again.

Even without a hook. Harry could do some damage. He begins to picture it and it brings a smile to his face. Until he checks back into reality and sees Uma accepting Jonas's jewelry box.

Harry backs away. Even though the urge to throw Jonas to the ground rises with every second.

Uma leans closer to Jonas, whispering something in his ear. Harry backs away again. Shaking his head not believing what he's seeing.

And then she kisses Jonas's cheek and pats his shoulder.

Harry becomes hot with anger. Hot with jealousy. He's burning as he does with just a second of Uma's touch. He screams, exploding like a volcano. He throws his essay on the floor. He hears Uma call his name but it burns.

He turns around, ignoring Uma and runs straight back to his dorm.

Harry leaves his dorm almost an hour later, his stomach grumbling for food. He doesn't notice Uma waiting outside his dorm room until the last second. He tries to go back into his room but Uma's blocking the way into it.

"If I'm your hero does that make you what, a pirate in distress?" Uma jokes, but Harry doesn't laugh.

He hates how her voice instantly brings him into a dream. A dream of her. A dream of her love that he'll know he'll never get. Jonas appears. Nightmare. Uma kissing Jonas's cheek. Nightmare.

Harry moves away from Uma. He could easily outrun her. Go to the school's cafeteria grab some food and run back into his dorm. He could do this all year. Stand in the background while Uma's kissing Jonas. Loving Jonas. Dating Jonas.

Gods, no he couldn't do it. He couldn't live in a nightmare.

"Are you going to rescue me then, darling?" He bitterly retorts." Or are there other pirates in distress for you to save?" Harry asks with a scowl.

"No. There's only one pirate in distress that I'm always rescuing."

"Jonas?" Harry growls with the very mention of Jonas's name bringing back the burning anger from earlier.

"No, Harry. You."

"You sure weren't thinking of me when you kissed Jonas on the cheek."

"I rejected him, nicely. Just like how Audrey taught me to reject suitors I don't like."

"Audrey gives terrible advice." Harry spats.

"Really?" Uma muses as she walks up to Harry. She stands on her toes and kisses his lips. Dream. It feels likes a Dream. He never wants to wake up from it.

Her fingers touch his hand. The heat seems more overwhelming than the sun beating down on Harry in a heatwave. He likes it. He loves it. He never wants her to pull away.

"Am I really your hero, Harry? Do you really feel that way about me?"

Harry nods then rubs the back of his neck when he realizes what she's implying. She read his essay. She knew how he felt. Knows that he loves her. "You weren't supposed to read that..."

"I'm glad I did."

Harry looks at her surprised. "You are?"

"Yeah. It made me realize a lot of things. Harry, I'm sorry, I've been so busy. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that you love me."

"Do you-Do you feel the same way?" Harry asks hopefully.

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Uma responds and kisses Harry again. She pulls away when she hears his stomach grumble. She laughs, "Let's go to the cafeteria. So your hero can save your stomach from distress."

Uma's fingers intertwine with Harry's. And as Harry walks alongside Uma with their fingers intertwined. He feels like he's in a dream.

 **A.N.** Thank you for reading! Hope you guys like it!


End file.
